Unaffiliated voter numbers surge leading up to primaries

Normally, the non-incumbent political party experiences a resurgence during the midterm elections, and with arguably the most unpopular Republican president in U.S. history occupying the White House, there's been much talk about the coming "blue wave" in 2018.

But in Colorado, according to the most recent voter registration data, that wave looks like a drop in the bucket compared the tsunami of unaffiliated voters flooding onto the rolls.

Since January, more than 40,000 voters registered without a party. By comparison, Democrats added just over 7,500 new voters since the new year began while Republicans lost almost 1,300.

At 38 percent, unaffiliated voters make up the largest and fastest-growing voting block in the state — registered Republicans and Democrats make up 29 and 30 percent, respectively.

(We used total numbers, including active, inactive and preregistered voters.)

Here's the raw data:

All those unaffiliated voters should make the June 26 primary interesting, since the state's primary elections are now open to unaffiliated voters. (Note: Unaffiliated voters will receive two ballots in the mail, one Democratic and one Republican, though only one ballot may be cast or both will be thrown away.)